Chanel Les Beiges Retractable Kabuki Brush Review

This small, delightfully soft brush is every inch a “Chanel,” with the iconic logo on one end. Inside, there is a sleeve which squooshes the white bristles together (which enables the cap to be easily placed on and off).

This sleeve slides down, revealing the dense, short brush.

These bristles are remarkably soft and lush–truly, a luxury brush that’s well worth having. I own a Guerlain brush with a similar design. Overall, the Chanel is much more pleasurable to use. Although the Guerlain works well, it cannot match the softness and density of the Chanel. The bristles of the Chanel are very, very fine.

Here are the Chanel and Guerlain brushes side-by-side (sleeves up):

Same, sleeves down so that you can see the bristles:

Is the Chanel Retractable Kabuki a must-have? It’s certainly worth a pause (and pet) when it arrives in the U.S. next month. It’s certainly selling out here in Paris (I was able to get one just as it was being re-stocked one morning). I strongly encourage you to take a look–although I’m still getting to know it, it appears to be a brush worthy of the Chanel name.

Thanks for the review on this! Do you know if the brush is made of natural or synthetic hair? I have a retractable brush in synthetic hair, and while it is soft, it seems too dense to buff on powders. If Chanel’s brush is natural, it might just be what I’m looking for!

gossmakeupartist on YouTube just did a review of this recently! I recall him mentioning something about the bristles. But it’s apparently one of his favorite brushes now and he typically hates Chanel brushes! Hope that helps.

I think that I need this! I did an overhaul of my brushes last year and invested in many of the Chanel. All in all, I am quite pleased, but just wish I hadn’t left nº 24 behind at Heathrow — it’s nowhere to be found now!

Have you ever done a blog on your favourite Parisian restaurants and hotels?

It’s used for heavier coverage (with lightly pigmented blushes only–if you have an intense blush the color will be too strong).

ClaireJuly 11, 2013 at 9:28 pm

Thanks for the post, Amy! May I ask where is this brush made in? In general, I adore makeup brushes made in Japan but I have a feeling this brush may have been made either in France or somewhere else. Thanks.

I’ve had this brush for about a month and a half now and am disappointed with how badly it shed after washing – and has continued to shed. Because this was sold out, I originally got the Sephora retractable kabuki and aside from being slightly “shorter” I have to say it is nearly identical in terms of softness, application, and utility. It also cost about $20, so way cheaper and no shedding. They are both synthetic. The Chanel was a real let-down, especially considering the price (and especially vs. the Sephora).

Evelyn–If that happens to US buyers, that would be a good case for return/exchange for sure. I’m assuming that you bought your brush internationally and that wasn’t an option. Thanks for your input! 🙂

ChristinaJuly 16, 2013 at 11:55 am

Wow, that’s very interesting! My synthetic kabuki also takes forever to dry, and because it’s so full, I have a hard time cleaning it as well. I’ve used water and soap, brush cleaners, and alcohol (great for synthetic bristles). It never feels really clean. Mine was also made in China, so my guess is that they’re going to be the same. Bummer!

Amy, I bought it a Chanel counter at a Canadian department store – I think it was the last one they had. I probably should return it but I am not sure how receptive they would be. Also agree with the previous poster who said it takes a long time to dry. Instead of soap/water, next time, I might try Ben Nye brush cleaner and see how that goes in terms of speeding up drying time, and potentially, minimizing shedding.